Buckeridge sues WA government

One of Western Australia’s richest men is suing the state government, claiming it failed to uphold a deal that allows a consortium he leads to build a new port south of Perth.

The so-called James Point consortium, backed by billionaire building magnate
Len Buckeridge
, lodged a writ in the West Australian Supreme Court yesterday.

It is seeking up to 10 years in delayed profits – estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars – over what it claims is government inaction over the Kwinana port plan, which it signed in December 2000.

The consortium wants Premier
Colin Barnett
to retract comments that it did not have the right under the agreement to build an offshore container port as the second stage of the project. It also wants a five-year extension to its contract, which formally ended on June 30.

The state government has said it is happy for the consortium to build the first stage of the project, a land-based bulk cargo facility.

But it argues that the second stage is no longer appropriate because of conflicting planning and transport priorities in the area, and the consortium lost its right to build the container port on June 30.

The consortium said it was unable to complete the project due to ideological inaction by successive governments.